Finance committee  I don't think that increase in EI rates is going to have an overall impact on the rate of employment. I think what we need above all is stability and certainty in the tax system, and in the economy, period. Right now there's a tremendous amount of uncertainty as a result of what'

Finance committee  Right.

Finance committee  It's probably more important than ever before, particularly given the fact that our major trading partner is going through such economic difficulty today. We are seeing companies that are looking for new markets and new customers. In fact, we've seen quite a shift in expectations

Finance committee  I'm not sure, in an operating cashflow sense, where that pool of capital is. The numbers actually show that investment is picking up, along with cashflow, and that there has been a consistent share of the cash being invested in capital. Cash on a finance basis, short-term cash, h

Finance committee  I would first of all refer you to the graph on page 2, the top one, that shows the relationship between after-tax profits as a percentage of GDP, so it's a general measure of business profitability and unemployment. What it shows is that the only time unemployment rises is when p

Finance committee  What we've seen is that the unemployment rate falls as profitability increases. And I think that is a very important reason why profitability has increased so rapidly in Canada versus what is happening in the United States. It's not only because of the state of the economy, but a

Finance committee  An increase in taxes does two things. It means there's a lower return on investment for the company and therefore the share value will fall. It also means there's less money to distribute in dividends, and unretained earnings by the company, so there's less of a dividend. Both of

Finance committee  I think there has to be a balance between the costs of the EI system and the contributions, and we can't be expecting the system to be paying out higher benefits while looking at the impact of the cost of this on employment itself. So there has to be a balance, and that balance i

Finance committee  Good question. I think in two ways, from a manufacturing point of view. This is the sector, by the way, that across the country has realized a 12% reduction in overall emissions since 1990, far surpassing the Kyoto target here, and the emissions were reduced primarily as a resul

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, I'd like to recognize your leadership on this issue as well. It was six years ago that we started talking about this and started asking what the most important measure to boost investment would be. As you say, if you visit companies across Canada,

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am very pleased to be here today to make a few observations about Canada's economic recovery. As you know, the Canadian economy is slowly recovering from the impacts of the steepest collapse that global asset markets have experienced since the Great Dep

Finance committee  It would allow businesses to direct funding to college, university, and R and D support services that best meet their needs. Thanks.

Finance committee  We also support a number of recommendations in the Jenkins report. I guess our concern, though, is the dilution of the SR and ED tax credit system and the impact that has on our top R and D performers in the country that are looking at, not necessarily whether or not they're goin

Finance committee  Today, especially for manufacturers and exporters, the two sectors that were hardest hit by the recession, it has become very difficult to raise financing. Working capital is really at a premium. It's cashflow that drives investment activity, whether that's in training, or R and

Finance committee  With regard to the cash balances that are growing on the part of businesses, and manufacturers as well, some people say there are better uses than holding cash. Some people have referred to this as “dead money”. I don't see that at all. What companies are doing is borrowing more